The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-02-10
Thu MURDEROUS LIQUOR.
A DEATH DEALING TRAFFIC AND
ITS TERRIBLE CRIMES.
Multiplied Reasons by an Ardent Pro-
hibitlOnist Why Prohibition
Should Prevail In Tennessee.
To the Editors Of the Appeal /:

To the Editors Of the Appeal:
/ see by some editorials, and by
your quoting the crazy rodomantade
Of DR.. Bacon, you place the influence
OF your journal squarely on the eide Of
the murderous liquor business as
against those who would abolish this
death dealing traffic and protect the
community against its terrible crimes
aud miseries. Aud yet, while you
thus iIrationally denounce "pIohibi
tioD," every issue OF your paper teems
with accounts OF the most horrid and
atrocious outrsges and ghastly muir.
ders caused by this diabolical traffic.
One of the city attorneys OF New York
declared that of twenty-five cas- 8 of
murder IL had been his duty to exam
inc every one OF them were caused by
the gro ishops, and this s the Judicial
as well as newspaper testimony every
where this traffic exists. And yet
you wonld "licenss" and thus Iegalize
this business. The Almighty pro.
nounces terrible "woe unto him who
putteth the bottle TO his neigh boris
lips and msketh him drunken" and
also upon him who would "irame
iniquity into a law;" and yet, for q
few spice, of silver" you would
legalizs the very curse God so terribly
condemns. Who is right on this sui
iect2 The editor OF the APPEAL aud
his coanjutor DR.. Bacon or the Al
mighty Again you say: "If the
fanaticaI spirit of prohibition is per-
mitted free play 1t will enlor every
mans house and dictate what
he shall eat and wear. Wonderful
forensic Logic thisl But neither you
nor your profound DR.. Bacon have a
word to say about the rum flsnds from
the groRshops who enter the thou
sands OF homes all over the country,
rendering them utterly wretched and
desolate, and numbering their depend
emit and innocent inmates. But this
"ianatical spirit of prohibition" as
you call it, already prohibits the GALE
OF tainted meats, musty -four, poi
soned foods, lottery tickets, Peter Funk
houses, gambling housee, counterfeit
moneys, ETC., and several States and q
good many counties have also prohib-
tied the ten thousand fold greater
evil-the liquor ..aflic! And yet l
have never known or heard OF an in
stance where temperance men or pro
hibitionists have invaded anybody's
home and dictated what they should
eat or wear" But | do know OF many
instances where they have and are
entering houses to alleviate the suffer-
ings caused in homes by this liquor
business. Again, you make this most
extraordinary statement, Prohibition
has been q curse to every State that
has adopted it." This / know to be
false, and you cannot prove a word Of
it. In my native State of Maine 1t
swept away the grogshops, cleaned out
every distillery and every brewery,
greatly reduced crime, rowdylsm, pau.
perism and suffering, and after thirty
one years Of the beneficial effects Of
prohibition the people were 80 well
pleased and satisfied with the pro-
hibitory law that they incorporated II
into their constitution at the recent
election by majority Of over Az 900, a
thing they would not have done il ii
had been such "curse" as you state il
to be. And wherever it has been
adopted and enforced 1t hes greatly re-
duced drunkenness, crime, suffering
and consc quent taxation. 1t is no
more the fault OF prohibition than
any other good law that 1t has itt
violators. Prohibition is not to bt
blamed for the depravity of liquor
men who set both the laws Of God and
man at detiancel Again you say,
prohibition fosters and encourages
deceit, lying and. perjury, and begeti
the grossest intemperance OF speech
and habit" II such an outrageous
statement came from any other source
than from a prominent editor should
not know how to account for 1t or
any other hypothesis than that o.
total ignorance or total depravity
Why, cir, you have got the Cart just
equerely bofore the horse" What
ysu charge 10 prohibition is the
every day and universal resul
of the liquor business, as every
body knows. Where prohibition doe
not accomplish ali its friends desired
il ia not the fault OF the law no NOR
than 1t Ia the fault OF the law tina
theft, robbery, rape and murder ar
committed in defence Of the law bu
It is the fault of the vicious and cor
rupt, who regard neither human no
divine laws, and eight-tenths of tina
class made out avs by liquor
And the law Is not to be condemne,
because Ulcers whose duty il ia d
not enforcs it. Neither prohibition
nor any other law can enforce itself
and prohibition must and will have
party behind 1t to see that is enforcs
and its pr. lection aud inestimabl
benefits secured to the people. 1t |
not only the right but the duty Of SOY
eminent to prohibit what is iDjuriou
and destructive to society. This is nc
only the object OF civil government
but 1t is absolutely necessary to tn
existence and maiuten ance Of civil GOV
eminent itself. To condemn the GOV
eminent and its laws, prohbitive an
preventative, observation-disclosures tn
unprlncipled aud lawless violate thel
is unjus', absurd and dangerou
This spirit would aunihilaie civil GOV
eminent and reduce society to anarch
and chaos.
The theory OF the APPEAL an
of DR.. Bacon stand in a curiou
aud questionable light when con
pared with the thunders OF MouI
Sinai. What wonder the All Wiz
aud Almighty Savior had not conceive
the superior Weldon OF our moder
"Appeals" and "Blcons" and &
licensed instead OF prohibiting Il
crimes enumerated in the immort
decalogue. Yours respectfully,
GEORGE W. CLARK.
MEsPHIs, TENN. Fahruary I, 1881.